Schwarzenegger and Shriver tell of their 'scary week'

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his estranged wife, Maria Shriver, unite (briefly)
after their 13-year-old son has a serious surfing accident.

Arnold Schwartzenegger with his son ChristopherPhoto: INFPHOTO

By Jacqui Goddard, Miami

2:58PM BST 23 Jul 2011

Arnold Schwarzenneger and his estranged wife Maria Shriver have come briefly back together in the midst of their divorce battle after a surfing accident left their 13-year-old son in intensive care.

The former governor of California has spent hours with his wife at the hospital bedside of their son Christopher, who suffered broken ribs, a collapsed lung and lay gasping for air after being “slammed” by a wave on Malibu beach, California.

A recording of the 911 emergency call made by Ms Shriver, who was at the beach with her son when the accident happened, reveals her calmly telling an emergency operator that the teenager had been injured in a boogie-boarding accident, further details of which she did not specify.

“He’s awake and breathing. He just can’t move. He’s having trouble breathing,” she said.

The couple have been living separately since May, when Mr Schwarzenegger, 63, admitted that he had fathered a son, Joseph Baena, with the family’s housemaid in 1997. The boy was born within days of Christopher.

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Despite continuing legal conflict in recent days - with Mr Schwarzenegger’s lawyers filing court papers on Wednesday attempting to deny Ms Shriver spousal support and demanding that she pay her own legal fees as they hammer out their divorce - the couple are said to have “come together as a unit” to deal with Christopher’s accident.

“While it has been a very scary week, Christopher is surrounded by his family and friends. He is a brave boy and is expected to make a full recovery,” they said in a joint statement.

“On behalf of our entire family, we want to sincerely thank the paramedics and lifeguards who responded so swiftly as well as the doctors, nurses, emergency room and hospital staff who have cared for our son. They have been extraordinary to him and to us. We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and ask for respect and privacy for Christopher and our family.”

Ms Shriver is said to have initially slept at Christopher’s bedside in a Los Angeles hospital for several days following the accident, while Mr Schwarzenegger paid a number of visits. On Friday, they arrived at the hospital in separate cars, but within minutes of each other, for a joint visit with their daughter Christina, 21.

The couple - who have been married for 25 years - are seeking joint custody of their four children, of whom Christopher is the youngest.

His brother Patrick, 17, posted an update on Twitter stating: “Thank you everyone for your messages about my brother. This kid is strongest kid I ever seen. Keep praying.”

His sister Katherine, 21, also turned to Twitter, saying: “Thank you guys for ur concern and prayers for my baby brother! He’s a tough little guy and getting better! Please keep praying for him!” Ms Shriver, a member of the Kennedy political dynasty and former television journalist, filed for divorce on July 1, weeks after learning of the Terminator star’s infidelity.

TMZ.com, the celebrity news website that broke news of Christopher’s accident, claimed yesterday (Sat) that Mr Schwarzenegger is now preparing to file “more respectful” legal documents revising those submitted in court by his lawyers on Wednesday.

Citing sources connected to the former California governor, it reported: “Although he signed the divorce documents he never read them, partly because he was dealing with a family medical crisis - Christopher’s boogie boarding accident.”